Felicity Cunliffe-Lister Archives - Page 2 of 2

Government urged to help rural areas near Masham get broadband

Masham and Fountains councillor Felicity Cunliffe-Lister has written to the government urging it to help rural areas without broadband get connected.

About 300 homes in Masham and Fountains — about nine per cent of the total — are without fibre optic broadband to their premises.

A meeting organised by Cllr Lister last month heard this number might not reduce for several years.

This has prompted her to write to science, innovation and technology secretary Michelle Donelan asking her to bring back a voucher scheme that enabled people to install their own gigabit-capable connections at reduced cost.

Cllr Cunliffe-Lister, a Liberal Democrat who was elected to North Yorkshire Council this year, said in her letter:

“A voucher payment could, for example, help subsidise the cost of a Starlink satellite connection (£500), or for a community to pay to install a mobile mast or wireless broadband transmitter.

“This would otherwise be out of reach for most of my rural residents who are largely hill farmers, agricultural workers or otherwise on a relatively low income.”

Cllr Cunliffe-Lister said the roll out of broadband had been effective in urban locations in North Yorkshire but “rural residents will be feeling more remote and isolated than ever before”.

She added:

“There are many issues that are a daily challenge to living in remote locations, but a good broadband connection would be transformational and would help breathe life back into communities that are struggling to survive.

“In terms of the levelling up agenda, these are the residents who should have been first in the queue.”

New councillor ready to ‘get stuck in’ after Masham and Fountains win

The new councillor for Masham and Fountains has vowed to “make a difference” as she takes up her role.

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister won 1,349 votes in yesterday’s by-election in the Masham and Fountains division, called following the death of Conservative councillor Margaret Atkinson last year.

Cllr Cunliffe-Lister, who holds the title Countess of Swinton and owns the Swinton Estate, won the seat on North Yorkshire County Council at the second time of asking after coming second as an independent to Cllr Atkinson last year.

She said she was “really, really, really happy” to win, adding:

“I was hopeful it would turn my way. There’s a lot to do and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.”

She was supported at the count by veteran Harrogate councillors Pat Marsh and Philip Broadbank, as well as two of the party’s 2022 intake, Ripon Ure Bank & Spa councillor Barbara Brodigan and Pateley Bridge & Nidderdale councillor Andrew Murday.

Cllr Cunliffe-Lister receiving congratulations from fellow Liberal Democrats at the count in Ripon

Cllr Cunliffe-Lister added:

“It’s great that hopefully the tide is turning for the Lib Dems and people are recognising we are really effective in local government. We can make a difference and get things done.”

The count was held in Ripon last night and the result announced around midnight, along with the turnout of of 35.52%.

The victory for the Lib Dems means the Tories now have a majority of just two, although they are still far and away the largest party with 46 councillors.

The Lib Dems are the second largest party with 13 councillors.

Conservative Brooke Hull, the only other candidate in the by-election, said national issues played into the minds of voters.

She also criticised “mud-slinging” from the Liberal Democrats, including an accusation she was trying to distance herself from the Conservative Party in her campaign leaflets.

Ms Hull paid tribute to the former councillor Margaret Atkinson and said her legacy in the area will be remembered.

“I’m sad for Margaret. I would have liked to have won for her family. She’ll be remembered for what she did and her legacy. We all know she was a fantastic councillor.”

Liberal Democrats win Masham and Fountains by-election

The Conservative majority on North Yorkshire County Council has been reduced to two after Liberal Democrat Felicity Cunliffe-Lister – the Countess of Swinton – swept to victory in yesterday’s by-election for the Masham and Fountains division.

With this result, the make-up of North Yorkshire County Council – and the new North Yorkshire unitary authority that comes into being on April 1 – will see the Conservatives with 46 seats to the 44 belonging to opposition parties

The countess polled 1,349 votes in a two-horse race against Conservative candidate Brooke Hull, who received 801.

The seat became vacant after the sudden death in November of Conservative councillor Margaret Atkinson, who was appointed as the last chair of North Yorkshire County Council following the local elections in May.

At that May 2022 election, Felicity Cuncliffe-Lister stood as an Independent and polled 738 votes to finish second to Mrs Atkinson, who received 1,076 votes. The Liberal Democrat candidate Judith Hooper received 620 votes.

The Masham and Fountains division covers a large rural area that includes Kirkby Malzeard, Galphay, Grewelthorpe, Grantley, Sawley, Markington and Ripley, as well as Masham.

Key Masham by-election to be held tomorrow: Meet the candidates

Voters in the Masham and Fountains division will go to the polls tomorrow to choose their next councillor.

The North Yorkshire County Council by-election follows the death of Conservative councillor Margaret Atkinson in November.

Liberal Democrat Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, who is the Countess of Swinton, is taking on the Conservative Brooke Hull.

The seat will become part of the new unitary authority, North Yorkshire Council, from April 1. It is a large, rural division that includes Kirkby Malzeard, Galphay, Grantley, Sawley, Cundall, Dishforth, Melmerby and North Stainley as well as Masham.

Following last May’s local elections, the Conservatives’ control of the 90-member authority was significantly dented.

They now hold 47 seats, with 43 belonging to opposition parties so they currently have a slender majority of just four in Northallerton, adding extra importance to tomorrow’s by-election. A Liberal Democrat victory would reduce the Tories’ majority to just two.

Last May’s election in the division saw Ms Atkinson win 1,076 votes, followed by Ms Cunliffe-Lister, who stood as an independent, with 738 votes. Liberal Democrat candidate Judith Hooper received 620 votes.

To find out locations of polling booths visit here.

Brooke Hull — Conservative Party

Brooke Hull lives in Burnt Yates and is employed by the Skipton and Ripon Conservative Party Association.

Her husband is Nathan Hull, the Conservative county councillor for the Washburn and Birstwith division, and they have five children together.

Ms Hull said family was at the heart of her decision to stand.

She said:

“I have a large family, we live in the area and we want it to continue to be a great place to live. That’s a priority. Its all local, local, local really.”

The 89 politicans that currently make up the council in Northallerton are overwhelmingly older males. Ms Hull hopes that by standing she can inspire younger women into politics.

She said:

“That’s why I stood, to be that example and role model. To say, you know what, it’s ok, get involved.”

Nationally, the Conservative Party is having a difficult time but Ms Hull said she believes voters will put those issues to one side and focus on things that matter to them. She said:

“At the end of the day you’ve got to let your voters know who they’re voting for, not just a party or a person, they’ve got to know what you stand for.”

For her, the key issues in the division include making sure young people can afford to live in the villages in which they grew up, tackling rural crime, supporting farmers and protecting the environment.

She added:

“They all matter to me and are on my doorstep.”

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister — Liberal Democrats

Ms Cunliffe-Lister has lived in Masham for 23 years and owns and runs the 20,000-acre Swinton Estate with her husband, which includes a luxury hotel and spa.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister believes she made a big impression during last year’s election but in order to win she needed to represent a party. She said the Liberal Democrats shared her “ethos and priorities.”

She hopes to give the rural division a strong voice on the new council. She believes the area has been neglected on Harrogate Borough Council, which will be abolished in less than two months’ time.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister added:

“Masham is a long way from Harrogate and we’re sometimes left to our own devices. People feel like their votes are taken for granted up here.”

She said the key issues for people in the division are feelings of isolation due to unreliable public transport, the state of the roads and motorists speeding through villages. She backs the 20’s Plenty campaign in areas where the community wants it.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister also believes the new council needs to ensure the environment is at the top of its agenda.

“I really feel the environment needs to be given more of a priority at county council. There’s a lot of lip service. We need to stop talking about it and act.”

Additional reporting by Stuart Minting, Local Democracy Reporter

Crucial Masham by-election result ‘too close to call’

The Conservative Party’s decades-long grip on power in North Yorkshire could be weakened to just two seats as activists canvassing ahead of a by-election next week say the result is “too close to call”.

Liberal Democrats and Conservatives who have been braving wintry weather to door-knock residents across the Masham and Fountains division said they believe Westminster politics and ongoing unrest in the Tory party could impact on the February 9 poll.

The by-election follows the death of Conservative councillor Margaret Atkinson in November and will see Liberal Democrat Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, who is the Countess of Swinton, take on Conservative candidate mother-of-five Brooke Hull.

Following last May’s elections, the Conservatives’ control of the 90-member authority was significantly dented, with 47 seats. The party has held sway over the North Yorkshire authority for more than two decades.

The election has been limited to two candidates after the Green Party made an informal agreement with the Liberal Democrats to step aside to give Ms Cunliffe-Lister improved odds.

Last May’s election in the division saw Ms Atkinson win 1,076 votes, followed by Ms Cunliffe-Lister, who stood as an independent, with 738 vote and. Liberal Democrat candidate Judith Hooper who received 620 votes.

With just over a week until the residents of the rural Masham and Fountains division go to the polls, the leaders of both parties on the council described their candidates as “excellent”.

The Tories have claimed the countess is less representative of the population than their candidate, while Liberal Democrats have countered mother-of-five Ms Hull has made no reference to her party in her election leaflet, despite being the constituency party’s campaign manager.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister said it appeared that her rival was trying to “create a little bit of distance between her and the party she represents”, before rejecting Conservative activists’ claims that as the owner of the 20,000-acre Swinton Park Estate she was less representative of residents than Ms Hull.

The former solicitor said:

“I wouldn’t say I came from a privileged background, my parents were schoolteachers.

“We borrowed a huge amount of money from the bank to buy back the old family home and spent 23 years building it into a really successful business, going from zero to a £6m turnover. We’ve created 150 jobs. To me none of that smacks of privilege.”

She forecast a close result in the election, adding:

“There are a lot of people on the doorstep who are very fed up with the way things are and might have voted Conservative in the past, but now either won’t vote at all or will vote for a fresh start.

“I’m also picking up on people who aren’t particularly persuaded by any party but know me because I’ve been in the area a long time, have raised a family here and have a reputation for getting things done.”

Ms Hull dismissed claims that she was trying to dissociate herself from the Conservative Party. She said the omission of the party’s name on one of her leaflets had been an oversight. She said:

“I think people know I am a Conservative candidate, I say that at the door. It’s also about trying to get younger, normal women into politics, that’s all I am. For me it’s all about local, local, local. I have a large family and we want this area to continue to be a great place to live.

“At the end of the day you’ve got to let your voters know who they’re voting for, not just a party or a person, they’ve got to know what you stand for. Margaret had done so much work around the area and you have got to hope that counts for something.”

Green Party steps aside for upcoming Masham by-election

The Green Party will not stand in the crucial Masham and Fountains by-election to give the Liberal Democrats a better chance of beating the Conservatives.

The North Yorkshire County Council by-election will take place on February 9 and is being held following the death of long-serving Conservative councillor Margaret Atkinson.

The Harrogate and District Green Party said it had selected a “superb local candidate” to fight the seat, but following discussions with the Lib Dems it will instead step aside and “allow the progressive vote to go forward under one ticket”.

The winning councillor will sit on the new North Yorkshire Council from April 1 and the result will be significant for the balance of power in Northallerton.

With the seat currently vacant, the Conservatives have control of the council with 46 councillors but they have a slender majority over opposition party councillors and independents.

A Liberal Democrat victory would reduce the Tories’ majority to just two.

A Green Party spokesperson said due to the first-past-the-post voting system, putting forward a candidate would give the Conservatives a greater chance of winning.

The spokesperson said:

“It is our view that the Conservative Party is causing irreparable damage both locally and nationally, and the current imperative is to weaken their position as much as possible.

“Consequently, we have decided to engage in grown up politics and to stand to one side to allow the Liberal Democrats a clear run to topple the Conservatives. This on the grounds that in this division, we believe the Liberal Democrats are in the best position to achieve this goal.

“The Harrogate and District Green Party reaffirms its commitment to serving our local communities as best we can and furthering the cause of the environment at all times. As ever, we call upon all progressives parties to do likewise, and return this nation to the people.”

Brooke Hull will be the candidate for the Conservative Party and Felicity Cunliffe-Lister will stand for the Liberal Democrats.

Ms Hull is campaign manager for the Skipton and Ripon Conservative Party and is the wife of Conservative councillor for Washburn and Birstwith division, Nathan Hull.

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister is a former lawyer and is the owner of the Swinton Estate.

When the seat was last contested in May 2022, the Cllr Atkinson was elected with 1,076 votes.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister stood as an independent and came second with 738 votes. Liberal Democrat candidate Judith Hooper came third with 620 votes.

Conservatives select candidate for crucial Masham and Fountains by-election

The Conservative Party has picked its candidate for the upcoming North Yorkshire County Council by-election for the Masham and Fountains division.

The by-election follows the death of long-serving Conservative councillor Margaret Atkinson in November.

Last month the Stray Ferret revealed Felicity Cunliffe-Lister will stand for the Liberal Democrats.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service now understands Brooke Hull will be the candidate for the Conservatives.

The candidates have not been officially confirmed yet as nominations close on January 13. Voters in the division, which includes the villages of Kirkby Malzeard, will go to the polls on February 9.

The winning councillor will sit on the new North Yorkshire Council from April 1 and the result will be significant for the balance of power in Northallerton.

The Conservatives currently control the council with 47 councillors, giving them a majority of four. A Liberal Democrat victory would reduce the Tories’ majority to just two.

Ms Hull is campaign manager for the Skipton and Ripon Conservative Party and is the wife of Conservative councillor for Washburn and Birstwith division, Nathan Hull. They have five children together and live in Burnt Yates.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister, a former lawyer, is the owner of Swinton Estate.

When the seat was last contested in May 2022, Cllr Atkinson was elected with 1,076 votes.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister stood as an independent and came second with 738 votes. Liberal Democrat candidate Judith Hooper was third with 620 votes.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has asked both the Skipton and Ripon Labour Party and the Green Party if they will be nominating candidates but we did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Baroness Masham removes posters after Tory complaint

Swinton Estate owner Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, who is standing as an Independent in next month’s local elections, has removed some roadside posters after Conservative complaints.

In a sign of the election campaign hotting up, the Stray Ferret received an anonymous message today saying the Skipton and Ripon Conservative Association had alerted Harrogate Borough Council to ‘a breach of political campaigning rules’.

The message said Ms Cunliffe-Lister, whose formal title is Baroness Masham, had breached the rules by erecting the signs on roadside verges maintained by North Yorkshire County Council, the highways authority.

When we contacted Ms Cunliffe-Lister today she said she had just spoken with Harrogate Borough Council and had agreed to remove some posters following a “minor misunderstanding of the rules”.

She said she had permission from a landowner to put signs up on private land but the council had explained that “some posters are on the highways verge rather than private land”. She added:

“It was a minor misunderstanding of the rules. I thought I had permission from the landowner.

“I’m new to all this — I haven’t taken part in elections before and it was down to my misinterpretation of the rules. We all have to obey the rules, which is why I will remove them.”

A spokesperson for Skipton and Ripon Conservative Association said it had “flagged up” the issue on Friday because “you can’t put posters up on county council verges”.

Asked if it was happy with the action Ms Cunliffe-Lister intended to take, the spokesperson said:

“As long as they have been removed that’s absolutely fine.”

The signs were put up just outside Ripley on the B6165 road to Pateley Bridge.

Elections to the new North Yorkshire Council, which will replace North Yorkshire County Council and seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, take place on May 5.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister is standing against Conservative Margaret Atkinson, who currently represents Masham and Fountains on North Yorkshire County Council and Fountains and Ripley on Harrogate Borough Council, and Liberal Democrat Judith Hooper.

The Stray Ferret has contacted Harrogate Borough Council for comment.

Baroness enters battle for Masham at next month’s election

The owner of Swinton Estate in Masham has thrown her hat into the ring to be one of 90 councillors elected to North Yorkshire Council.

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, whose formal title is Baroness Masham, has put herself forward as an independent candidate when voters head to the polls on May 5.

She will stand in the Masham and Fountains division against Conservative Margaret Atkinson, who has held the division for nine years, and Liberal Democrat Judith Hooper.

All three candidates have spoken to the Stray Ferret this week.

Conservative: ‘My priorities are the community and the countryside’

Conservative Margaret Atkinson has represented Masham and Fountains on North Yorkshire County Council for nine years and Fountains and Ripley on Harrogate Borough Council for 20 years.

Ms Atkinson, who lives in Kirkby Malzeard, said abolishing the two councils for the new unitary authority was a “brilliant idea” because it would devolve more power and funding directly to local communities.

She said her priorities would remain the same:

“My priorities have always been the community and the countryside. They are two huge issues for this rural area.”

Ms Atkinson, who lives on a farm, said she was concerned about the closure of rural schools and the impact of high house prices on young people, as well as by the ageing population and the state of roads.

She said she had been “fighting for these things” constantly and the lack of progress in some areas was down to “shortage of money” from national government. She felt the devolution agenda would make it easier for the new council to take decisive action.

Asked what set her apart from her rivals, she said it was her long-term commitment to local causes and her deep roots in the community:

“I have always lived in this area. I went to school in this area and did my children and grandchildren.”

Independent: ‘I feel like I’ve got a lot to give’

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister has owned the Swinton estate with her husband Mark since 2000 and the couple have spent the past two decades building up the business.

But she says the time is right to do something different and to help others in the rural community.

She said:

“I have been running a business now for over 20 years with around 150 members of staff.

“I feel like I have got quite a lot to give and have some great experience.”

Ms Cunliffe-Lister said retaining young people in rural areas and improving standards of services elderly residents were key issues for the new council.

“I feel that we have to do everything we can to improve young people’s opportunities.

“I want young people in this area to feel engaged in their rural communities. I do think there is a lot to be said to draw in all the resources that we have. Businesses for example, they are a great resource.”

She described loneliness, particularly among older people in rural areas like Masham, as a “simple but profound issue”.

A lawyer from Devon, Ms Cunliffe-Lister has been a governor at Masham Primary School for four years, a trustee at Masham Almshouses, a charity that provides housing for those in need, and has also served on charity boards in Ripon and the north east.

Her goals, if elected, include improving “faith in the system” and finding something tangible from the government’s “levelling up” agenda. She said:

“I would like to feel that if I was elected there would be a level of engagement that they [the residents] do not feel is there at the moment.”

Ms Cunliffe-Lister also highlighted more immediate issues, such as fixing potholes.

Despite being new to the political arena and heading into a campaign without a team, she said she felt ready to “get out there”.

Liberal Democrat: “passionate about openness and community”

Liberal Democrat candidate Judith Hooper and her husband have a smallholding of 11 acres that they are rewilding.

She worked closely with councillors during her career as a GP and director of public health in Kirklees. Most recently she helped at covid vaccination centres

Her priorities are engaging with communities to understand their issues and addressing inequalities.

“I am appalled by the lack of contact with local councillors since moving into the area eight years ago.”

Her priorities are: holding regular public meetings rather than “taking votes for granted”, getting fair planning decisions and “tackling the climate crisis and thus fuel issues and increasing fuel poverty”.

She added she wanted to see more opportunities for activities for young people and to see what could be done to address the playground flooding in Masham.

“Probably above all, I am a Lib Dem because I’m passionate about openness, communities working with local people and the environment

“Our house is moving towards being carbon neutral by ground source heating and having planted nearly 4,000 trees and shrubs ,which help to offset some of our carbon emissions.”

Full list of candidates

Voters will head to the polls on May 5 to elect councillors to the new North Yorkshire Council, which will replace both North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council.

The Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Green Party and independents have all fielded candidates ahead of polling day.

You can read the full list of candidates here.

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Brooke Hull — Conservative Party

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Felicity Cunliffe-Lister — Liberal Democrats

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Conservative: ‘My priorities are the community and the countryside’

Independent: ‘I feel like I’ve got a lot to give’

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Liberal Democrat: “passionate about openness and community”

Full list of candidates